Medfly Find Prompts Quarantine In Portion Of San Diego County
August 28, 2015 A portion of San Diego County has been placed under quarantine for the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) following the detection of four adult Medflies in the La Mesa area. The medfly is one of the world’s most destructive pests, which can infest more than 250 types of fruits and vegetables.
USDA, the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner, and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) are working collaboratively on this project to release sterile male medflies at a rate of 250,000 flies per square mile per week. In the eradication program, sterile male medflies are brought to San Diego County from the joint CDFA/USDA sterile insect rearing facility in Los Alamitos, CA. The sterile release program has a proven track record of eradication in southern California
The new release area is approximately 59 square miles. In addition, properties within 200 meters of detections are being treated with an organic formulation of Spinosad, which originates from naturally-occurring bacteria in soil, in order to eliminate any mated females and reduce the density of the population. Finally, fruit removal will occur within 100 meters of detection properties in order to remove any fruit infested with eggs and larvae.
The quarantine area in San Diego County measures 93 square miles, bordered on the north by Prospect Avenue; on the south by Mount Miguel Road; on the west by Fairmount Avenue; and on the east by Vista Grande Road.
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